


Adore You

by sugar_baby



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Alcohol, Confessions, Depressed Link (Legend of Zelda), Depression, Drinking, Drunken Confessions, Dysphoria, Friends to Lovers, Love Confessions, M/M, Mute Link, Muteness, One Shot, Sign Language, Trans Link (Legend of Zelda), Trans Male Character, Zora's Domain, mostly just rated teen for the alcohol, this was surprisingly fluffy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:21:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,376
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24906769
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugar_baby/pseuds/sugar_baby
Summary: Link is the only solace Sidon finds in his days. Sidon is the only solace Link finds in his days. The two of them are exhausted, drunk, nervous and in love.
Relationships: Link/Prince Sidon
Comments: 6
Kudos: 97





	1. Just Let Me Adore You

**Author's Note:**

> iiiii normally dont write notes but i feel like this one needs some 'splaining. yes its named after the harry styles song because i was listening to him while i was finishing up the first part and i guess that makes me basic. i SO thought this was gonna be a smutty nightmare *coughs* like most of my other shit on here *coughs* but apparently it just wants to be cute. i've been sitting on this one for a really long time (like, before i started _Precious_ ) and its finally starting to come together. there will be a part two eventually i just felt like it would be nice to split it up

Link had always been agreeable enough with his inability to speak. He was a firm believer that actions spoke louder than words, and he was definitely a man of action. Though he near always had something in his hands, weapon or otherwise, he nearly never felt stifled by his inability to sign at these times.

Nearly.

Sidon was a ball of energy, always bounding off walls with his wide smile, full of purpose and an overall bubbly happiness, which only strengthened when he was around Link. Link could always feel this in his friend. Sidon, though he was a Prince with countless duties of his own, and no doubt a guilty sensibility to overachieve into the staggering footsteps his late sister had left behind, always seemed to make time for Link. His face always lit up brighter than the hero had thought previously possible. His stance would open up, directed toward him. It took all of Link’s propriety not to bound into his arms and hug the Zora at these times. 

It almost made him guilty, the amount he visited Sidon in the Zora Domain. He knew he had a job to do, and the weight, the whispers of Zelda in his ears in hazy mornings always haunted him. He truly was doing all he could, and he tried not to tear himself apart for an afternoon, even a day in the presence of his friend. Ever since he’d acquainted himself by the river with the Prince, he felt reassured, recharged by his warmth whenever he happened to run into him. It wasn’t long until he began specifically seeking the Zora out for his comforting presence. Most times, they would spend time discussing Zora politics, near Polymus mountain since the Lynel had been vanquished, or atop Vah Ruta, similarly sated. Link would recount the journeys he had since Sidon and he had last met, signing emphatically, and Sidon would watch him enraptured. Sidon was still fascinated by the ancient Shiekah technology that allowed him to travel at will, and was especially interested in tales of the Gerudo desert and Hebra mountains that he had never traveled to before, given his disposition for waterways when traveling. Sometimes, with the aid of Zora armor, Link and Sidon would race up waterfalls and splash each other playfully. Sidon would always win. Other times, they would spar, ending up blanketed in sweat, heaving breaths while chuckling at each other, lying on the ground of the training floor with a few new miniscule scratches smattering their bodies. Many times the Prince would also keep him in the Domain for a meal, exquisitely cooked fish that Link could never manage to replicate himself, no matter how many times he attempted imitating it.

He truly enjoyed his time with the Zora, and nearly always saw him smiling, so it startled Link a bit when he teleported to the Shrine inside of the Zora Domain to hunt for Sidon and find him arguing heatedly with Muzu, whipping around only after a minute or two once they had both noticed his presence. Sidon looked pained, and his expression only softened minutely when he saw it was Link that had interrupted them. He gave a curt nod to Muzu, saying that they would continue discussion on this later, and trod over to Link, looking tired.

Link asked him what was wrong and Sidon danced around the question, instead suggesting he come with Sidon to take the edge off of their day with him. For Sidon, it was definitely to lock away the memory of the royal ordeal he was going through, still shrouded in mystery, and Link agreed. His shoulders were unbelievably tense, having accidentally run into a Hinox that morning that had shaken him up for the rest of the day. He could use something to unlock his muscles and help him sleep tonight.

Sidon dragged him through his palace, down some dimly lit hallways that fell out of main foot traffic and into a room Link had never seen before. Link had been inside the palace with Sidon a few times, winding beneath the main terrace almost like caves. He’d even visited once when he had gotten back from a long day of adventuring and just needed a good night’s sleep without looking anxiously over his shoulder to make sure he was safe. Sidon had graciously offered him a guest room, then, and let him sleep until morning.

This room was new, and Sidon explained that this area of the palace had fallen out of regular use. He said he kept drink here for whenever he really needed it, which was not that often. The room was sparsely lit with luminous stones, giving it pools of light in the center of the room that dispersed outward. Sidon rummaged for a minute, and then handed him a flask.

“Tell me about your day, Link.”

Link sighed, flexed his fingers by webbing them together and turning them out in front of him, and then began telling Sidon about what had happened today, his run-in with the Hinox, and how he’d found a new shrine that day, having to spend a few hours figuring out its infernal puzzle, both of which exhausted him. When he had a chance, he teleported to an old shrine near a stable to prepare rations out of the raw fish he’d caught and plants he’d foraged for the next couple days, and then took Epona out briefly, but on his ride it had gotten dark quickly and he made the decision to take her in for the sake of not having his horse trip on unseen terrain in the night, or rouse any skal accidentally. A while after sunset, he had come to Sidon, and here they were.

Sidon listened to him intently while sipping some of his drink, and after Link finished he finally took a swig of what Sidon had gifted him. He could tell it was strong, as it burned down his throat, but had a surprisingly sweet aftertaste. Link sagged in his chair a bit, trying to relax his muscles.

The Prince carefully rounded behind him and put his hands firmly on the hero’s shoulders. “May I?” he asked quietly, and Link nodded his head in approval, taking another swig from the flask. Sidon began to knead into Link’s skin, forcefully but still careful of his claws. Link turned a bit more towards him to give Sidon better access, sighing in appreciation. He closed his eyes and let himself go into the feeling of Sidon’s rhythmic kneading for a moment, continuing to drink as he did so. It wasn’t often that either of them drank, but for Sidon to offer up the suggestion so immediately, Link knew he needed it, and was happy to accompany him. This particular type of drink he’d never tasted before, and it was always enlightening for him to try something new. Link lifted his hands slowly to say something, but Sidon pressed into a particularly tense muscle and Link dropped his hands and made a rough, jagged sound with his underused vocal chords, one of pleasure. He completely forgot what it was he was about to remark. Sidon chuckled, soft and deep behind him.

After a minute or two he let up on Link’s shoulders, and Link slumped even further down in his chair, eyes fluttering closed, before he pulled himself together again and sat up. He rolled his shoulder back a few times, revelling in the feeling, and signed a lazy thank you to his friend. Sidon chuckled yet again and turned to take a large gulp from his own drink. They continued late into the night, dissolving into a heap of ridiculous giggles over the most unrelated things.  
However, later in the night Link turned things serious. His hands clumsy and swaying in his seat, he finally asked Sidon what had upset him today. The Prince’s face turned sour and he went silent. Link leaned over, nearly falling to poke him and try to rouse an answer. Sidon shook his head.

 _You really aren’t going to tell me?_

“I- I can’t… I wouldn’t feel comfortable…”

Link gave him a sharp look, clicking his tongue.

“I just don’t want to burden you with this! It’s completely MY issue, and as much as I want to tell you, I wouldn’t want you to be weighed down with it as I am.”

Link stood up, again swaying heavily, but Sidon leaned deeply and caught him in one scaly arm. He pulled him close, chuckling into his hair and breathing the scent of drink against his neck. “Heyy there…”

_Hit you now? Will I need to carry you back, my prince?_

“Link…” another hot breath against his neck, and then, searing warmth, and wetness, dragging up the side of Link’s neck. He gripped Sidon, clambering for purchase against his smooth skin, tapping him sharply and then pushing him away with both hands at his chest.

_Sidon, what--?_

Sidon looked mortified, and then stumbled his way over an apology, pressing his forehead into Link’s shoulder with a defeated sigh, “You see, Muzu is such a traditionalist… He keeps suggesting courtship, while I continually express disinterest… For good reason, my friend.”

“I simply seem to, ah… be unable to muster interest in anyone, excepting yourself.”

A choked breath left Link’s throat, and Sidon, who was still much more sober than Link, pulled back and away to try and right himself.

Link fell forward into him, blinking with wide eyes, innocent blonde lashes like a virgin. Sloppily, and mostly against Sidon’s forearm, _Me?_ Sidon cocked his head and had him sign it again. 

“Ah, you see… That seems to be the problem, yes. I… understand if this were to make you uncomfortable in any way.” 

Almost seeming not to absorb Sidon’s words, Link just signed again, _Me?_ , slower this time.

“Yes, would you like me to leave you alone to think? You’re in no shape to leave, and I could prepare you a room if you’d like.”

 _Not right for you,_ Link signed, still leaning on Sidon’s arm. Sidon’s face fell, and he glanced down and away, making to retort before Link cut him off.

 _Not royalty, not big enough, too reckless. Not a woman,_ Link signed, phrases sloping back and forth in his clumsy fingers.

Sidon blinked dramatically, then chuckled loudly, abruptly, surprised. “Ah, my friend, first of all, I don’t wish for a woman. You have your own masculine wiles.”

Link looked up at him, eyebrows scrunched. _I’m drunk._

Sidon chuckled again, more sweetly this time, and took a firmer hold of his arm. “Yes, you are. Let’s get you some rest, dearest.”

Sidon lead Link back through the castle, to an empty guest room that was serviceable enough to use for the night. He made sure Link got into bed, and pulled a blanket over him, got him a glass of water to place by the bed. “Drink some of this before you sleep?”

Link pushed himself up just a bit and reached out with shaky fingers as Sidon helped him hold the glass just to be safe. Link drank a couple of giant gulps, then pushed it away, wiping his mouth with his arm, and Sidon placed it on the bedside table. “Good. Hopefully that helps. You see where I placed it if you need?”

Link threw his head to the side to look at the table, and then nodded at Sidon.

“Alright. Goodnight then, Link. Safe travels.” Sidon turned to leave him, but felt something odd brush at his hip. Redoubling, he saw Link reaching out to him, bleary eyed.

_I will see you tomorrow?_

Sidon nearly gasped at the picture Link made, half in bed with messy hair, flushed, bright blue eyes, swaying just a tad even though he was sitting, looking lost. He couldn’t find his voice for a moment.

“Ah, yes. Yes, dearest. I’ll make time for you.”

Link nodded, and turned away from him to lay in bed.

Tomorrow was going to be a busy day.


	2. Like It's the Only Thing I'll Ever Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh gods oh gods i said i was gonna post this like immediately after the first chapter but here we are like MONTHS later and its short at least its tender. also link has depression

Sidon was nervous. In his haste that morning, he had ordered a large breakfast, in order to try and give Link a safe space, and then cancelled it 45 minutes later, thinking that it would be imposing to surprise Link with a large and formal breakfast, but then reupped, thinking that it would be absolutely rude to not offer Link food when he was, of course, in Sidon’s own care right now, would be rude not to show him what he could offer, but then again thought that he might be smothering Link, and what if he didn’t realize some sort of allergy Link had…

The kitchen staff eventually told Sidon they were going to make breakfast, since they had started, whether he wanted it or not, and though slightly red in the face with embarrassment, Sidon agreed that if he and Link didn’t decide to eat, the kitchen staff could eat everything they had made. After that Sidon had agreed to sit in the breakfast nook, which was not quite as grand as their banquet hall, but still had that Zoran elegance and grace, just smaller and a bit more intimate for tea, smaller meals, and family gatherings rather than social functions. He was sitting with around half of the selection of foods the kitchen had made out for Link to see, still opting to try and not overwhelm him. Sidon worried himself silly over whether he should wake Link, and if he didn’t, where he would wait, and between interacting with the kitchen staff and being generally paralyzed as to what to do, he ended up just sitting at the breakfast nook. Multiple times he nearly got up to move somewhere else, but all of those plans aborted before he could properly leave his chair, and he knew he had a bad habit of pacing, so he busied himself just scratching at the finish of the table absentmindedly, and picking at errant scales on his arms and thighs that were just about ready to dislodge themselves anyway. It wasn’t that unhealthy a coping mechanism, he told himself.

So, between hyper fixating on his scales and losing track of time through mental gymnastics, he didn’t hear or otherwise notice the approach of Link, his normally stealthy would-be suitor. Not that Link was particularly stealthy this morning, that is, as he woke up hungover and still somehow achingly tired despite the sun rising a bit too high in the sky for it to be called morning. He nearly forgot his way to meet Sidon, even when he’d been informed the exact location of his rendezvous by a guard who had gingerly woken him up, and--  _ did Zoras blush blue? _ \-- because he seemed awfully nervous and apologetic for a Royal guard. Link normally prided himself on his impeccable, near uncanny directional sense, so this was a low blow to his self esteem and especially embarrassing. It kept him from obsessing over the interaction he was about to have with the Prince who was now seated across from him, though.

“Link, my dearest friend! I hope sleep treated you well?”

Link made a particularly violent sign that Sidon didn’t recognize but seemed to pantomime a hammer slugging all the brains out of his skull. So not well, then. 

“Oh, dear… Well, hopefully you’ll find this meal to be rousing?” Sidon said, pushing a dish of caviar toward him.

_ Water, please?  _ Link signed, his cheeks heating up. 

“Oh! Oh, of course!” Sidon motioned for a servant to pour something for Link. 

Link stuttered with his hands, shakily signing out,  _ I’m not really hungry, I’m sorry-- _

“Link! Oh, it’s no trouble at all! I just wanted to make sure you were cared for, my friend! There is no obligation here. Would you like anything else while you’re here?”

_ Sorry, too nervous… Could we get this over with? _

“Ah… Yes. Certainly, my friend,” Sidon said, his heart sinking. He still didn’t feel prepared, and this was not how he wanted to start the conversation, bluntly, like Link was doing. It would have been better if it came up organically during the meal. But, no matter, this was the present. “I apologize for dragging you into this, my friend. I didn’t have proper control of my emotions in my addled state. I had no wish to make you uncomfortable and you have no need to respond to my affections.”

_ But don’t you want to-- _

“Your friendship, if you’ll still have me, could never be considered a rejection,” he said, and gave Link a soft, sad smile.

_You really, actually like me?_ _ME?_ he gestured the last word again, more emphatically pointing at himself.

“Link, yes, of course, I am fond of you. I’ve been trying to express that to you this whole time.”

_ But I’m…  _ Link paused to try to settle down onto one of the many swirling thoughts in his mind. That he was, for one, not a Zora; and a man, as much as he truly feared Sidon might try to argue otherwise, even though Sidon had been nothing but respectful toward his gender; that even though he was a warrior, he was so much _ smaller _ than Sidon, and didn’t match up to him physically at all; that he was pretty sure even a divinely appointed knight didn’t count as nobility. That he was small, and low born, and dirty, and to feminine, and not  _ enough  _ for Sidon to consider as a lover, let alone a friend for anything other than a source to make Sidon feel better about himself. He didn’t understand the encouragement. It hurt to hear.

“Darling?” Sidon said, softly, “As much as I enjoy watching your mind work, might you have me, or no?” Link cocked his head and Sidon coughed politely, “As a lover, I mean.”

Wait, this was a real proposition? And Sidon expected an answer? Fuck. His mind could hardly let him imagine the happiness. Besides, he’d never--

_ I’ve never had a “lover,” Sidon,  _ Link signed solemnly, gesturing the word “lover” with a clinically slow and twitching hand, as if he was almost afraid to touch it, to give it form. 

“Ah, I…” Sidon started quickly, and then his brow furrowed and he slowed down his thought process, shoving his foot in the door of the conversation before Link closed off again, “I could… Teach you? Of course, only the way I personally know how, he said hopefully, and then muttered, “Or, if you’re too unsure and would rather not begin with me…”

_ I… I want to. But I don’t understand. I still don’t understand what… you see in me, I guess? Why you’d bother with all of this? _ Link was beginning to bite at his lip.

“Oh, my sweet Hylian,” Sidon said softly, and then, after a moment of hesitation looking between Link and himself, he stood up from his chair and walked right next to Link’s, gesturing for Link to lay his hands in Sidon’s as knelt in front of him and reached out. Kneeling in front of him, his head was just about level with Link’s sitting form. “If you’d like, there do not need to be any labels on this. But, would you allow me to teach you? Might I start by showing you the things I love about you, and we see how that feels?”

Link nodded minutely, his face becoming hot and his eyes prickling.

Sidon leaned his face closer to Link’s and reached a hand gingerly to caress his cheek, “My pearl, do you trust me?”

Link was shivering, and because of the weight of the moment he took a moment longer to survey this question than he normally might have. Had Sidon ever led him astray? Had Sidon ever been anything other than encouraging and kind to him? Had Sidon discarded him after he exceeded his usefulness to the Domain, with Vah Ruta? All answers were no. He couldn’t find a crack in this perfect man. It terrified him.

Link leaned into his hand, and nodded again, closing his eyes against the onslaught of emotions, and Sidon’s electric gaze. 

“Then let me love you, dearest. We can figure everything out from there.”


End file.
